Brake mechanism for automobiles



Feb. 19, 1935; v y 'N. A. CHRIISTENSEN BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMI LAR VEHICLES,

Qrigina-l Fild Sept. 4, 1914 s Sheets -Sheet 1 Feb. 19, 1935. N. A. CHRISTENSEN Re. 19,469

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMILAR VEHICLES Original Filed Sept 4, 1914 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Feb. 19, 1935. "NL-A; CHRISTENSEQN R 19369 BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SiMiLAR VEHICLES Original FiledSept. 4,1914 :s Sheets-Sheet '3 Reissuecl Feb. is, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMILAR VEHICLES Niels A. Christensen, South Euclid, Ohio 8 Claims.

-Thisinvention relates to brake mechanism for automobiles and similar vehicles and the objects of the invention are to improve brake mechanism for automobiles and similar vehicles in the manner to be hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form a part hereof, which drawings illustrate embodiments of this invention, and on which drawings the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts wherever they may appear in each of .the several views;

Figure 1 is a plan view of parts of an automobile with the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an elevation of parts of the mechanism illustrated by Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 are elevations of details onan enlarged scale; I

Figure 51s a plan similar to Figure 1 but illustrating a different arrangement of the brake mechanism; and I Figure 6 is an elevation of parts of the mechanism illustrated by Figure 5.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide automobiles and. similar vehicles with a fluid-pressure brake mechanism and for simplicity of illustration and description I have illustrated a form of air brake mechanism but by such illustration I do not intend to limit myself to compressed air as the braking fluid as the exhaust products of combustion of the engine can be employed or the difference in pressure required can be obtained by creating a partial vacuum, for example.

Preferably, the fluid-pressure brake mechanism is combined with mechanical braking mechanism in such a manner that the mechanical brakingv mechanism can be used independently of the fluid-pressure mechanism either as a matter of choice and convenience or in case the fluidpressure mechanism should be out of service for any reason.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates the front axle, 2 the rear axle, 3 and 4 the front wheels and 5 and 6 the rear wheels of an automobile or similar vehicle. The front axle is provided at each end with steering knuckles '7 and 8 which are provided with wheel spindles 9 and 10. One of the knuckles is provided with the crank 11 for connection with the steering gear (not shown) and the knuckles are connected to turn in unison by the link 14 secured to arms 12 and 13 projecting from the knuckles. Preferably all four wheels are provided with friction drums 15, 16, 17 and 13 or equivalent brake members adapted to be engaged by any suitable or preferred form of coacting brake members. The drawings illustrate an ordinary form of band brake composed of two sections 19 and 20 the ends of which are secured to lugs 21 and 22 which are hinged together by a pivot 23. The other ends of the said bands are secured to lugs 24 and 25. A bell crank lever 26 is pivoted to lug 24 and one arm of this lever is connected by the link 27 to the lug 25. An upstanding lug 28 is secured to the uppermost section 19, or strap or band, and is provided with a nut on its upper end which bears on a spiral spring which in turn is supported on some relatively fixed part 29 so that the upper band 19 will be lifted slightly from the friction drum when the brakes are not set. The band brakes for all four wheels are of the same construction and the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

I The bell crank levers for the brake bands of the rear wheels are connected with the shaft 30 by the links 31 and 32 and cranks 33 and 34.. Cranks 35 and 36 are secured to shaft 30 and, preferably, the ends of these cranks are bifurcated to receive links; The brake pedal 39 is pivotally secured to the vehicle by pivot 40 and is connected with crank 35 by the link 38. The end of link 38 connected to the crank 35 is slotted and the pin 37 passes through the slot so that a certain amount of play or lost motion is provided for. The bell crank levers 26 for the rear wheels are provided with springs 41 to release the brakes in the ordinary manner.

The reference numeral 42 designates an air compressor of any suitable type which'may be operated by the main engine of the vehicle or by means of a separate motor mechanism to supply fluid under pressure for operating the brakes. The compressor communicates by means of a pipe 43, provided with a cock 44, with a reservoir 45 rom which the compressed air can be discharged into thebrake cylinders 49, and 5l-through pipe 46, engineers valve 4'? and pipe 48. The cock 44 may provide for permitting a free discharge from the compressor to the atmosphere but is primarily intended simply as a blow off cock for the reservoir 45. The engineers valve 47 may be of any preferred type and for simplicity I have illustrated a conventional form of three-way valve which places pipe 48 in communication with pipe 46 from reservoir 45 or with the exhaust 52 according to the position of the handle 53 of the valve 47.

The brake cylinders 49, 50 and 51 are of any plungers or pistons and piston rods 54, 55 and 56 which are of the same general form and adapted to operate in the same general way as the ordinary wellknown forms of air brake apparatus. The brake cylinders 50 and 51 for the front wheels are so mounted as to'turn with the wheels and are illustrated as secured to lugs 5'7 and 58 projecting from the steering knuckles 7 and 8. Preferably the steering knuckles '7 and 8 are provided with lugs 59 and 60 to which bolts or pins 61 and 62 secure the bands or sections of the band brakes for the front wheels. These pins 61 and 62 hinge the bands or sections together in the same way as the pins 23 of the brakes for the rear wheels do.

The piston rods 55 and 56 of the brake cylinders 50 and 51 are surrounded by spiral springs 63 which are adapted to be compressed between the pistons and theheads or ends of the brake cylinders during the operation of setting the brakes and their function is to restore the pistons to their normal positions to release the brakes when the air pressure is reduced. In the specific form of construction illustrated in connection with the front wheels, the springs 63 take the place of and have the same function as the springs 41 illustrated and described in connection with the brakes for the rear wheels.

The piston rods of the several brake cylinders may be surrounded by flexible rubber tubes or other means to prevent dirt lodging thereon as illustrated by Figure 3 of the drawings and designated by the reference numeral 64.

The reference numerals 65 and 66 designate sections of flexible pipe, rubber hose. for example, by which the pipe 48 is connected with thebrake cylinders 50 and 51 to allow of movements as the wheels are turned to steer the vehicle or when the wheels move up or down with respect to the body of the vehicle, as it will be understood that the pipe 48 is' secured to the body of the vehicle above the springs (not shown).

The drawings illustrate two schemes for applying the brakes by the fluid-pressure brake mechanism. Figures 1 and 2 show the handle 53 of the engineer's valve 47 connected with the brake pedal 39 so that only the single, ordinary foot movement is required to set the brakes. With this arrangement the fluid-pressure brake mechanism will be operated each time the brakes are set by the foot pedal 39 and for the reasons to be hereinafter described the brakes can be set by the foot pedal 39 if for any reason there is no supply of fluid under pressure for setting the brakes. Figures 5 and 6 show the handle 53 of the engineer's valve 47 free from the brake pedal 39 for manual operation. With this construction the brakes maybe set either by the foot pedal 39 or by the engineers valve 47 as choice or necessity may determine. By using the foot pedal the power required to drive the compressor may be conserved in any known manner while at the same time, if the pressure on the foot pedal is not suflicient to hold the vehicle, the power of the fluid-pressure braking mechanism can be immediately applied.

ing turned to the off or exhaust position when the brake pedal 39 is released.

The link 38 and the piston rod 54 of the brake cylinder 49 are provided with longitudinal slots to receive the'pins 37 and 71 of the cranks 35 and 36. These 'slots should be long enough to allow for the full movement required of the cranks 35 and 36 in setting the brakes so that the brakes can be set either by the foot pedal 39 or by means of the engineers valve 47. In the construction and arrangement illustrated byFigures 1 and 2 the slot in the piston rod 54 forms a lost motion connection with the pin 71 in crank 36 so that as the foot pedal 39 is moved forward to apply the brakes and the handle 53 of the engineers valve 47 is moved to let the compressed air into thebrake. cylinders the braking efiect of the compressed air is applied immediately to the front wheels while the piston rod 54 is moving outward to take up the lost motion.

From the foregoing description the operation and use of the apparatus will be clearly understood. In both arrangements illustrated and described the brakes can be set by the foot pedal independently of the fluid-pressure brake mechanism, if there be no supply of fluid under pressure to operate the brake mechanism. In the construction and arrangement illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 the engineers valve is operated to set the brakes by the movement of the foot pedal and is operated to release the brakes by spring 68. In the construction and arrangement illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings the engineers valve must be operatedby hand either to set the brakes or to release them.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with the wheels of automobiles and.similar vehicles of brake members, mechanical means for operating said brake members, fluid-pressure actuated mechanism for operating said brake members, and a valve having a lost motion connection with 'said mechanical means for controlling the action of the fluidpressure actuated mechanism adapted to be moved by the mechanical means for operating the brake members.

.2. The combination with the wheels o automobiles and similar vehicles of brake members, mechanical means for operating said brake members, fluid-pressure actuated mechanism for operating said brake members, a valve for controlling the action of the fluid-pressure actuated mechanism connected by a lost motion connection with the mechanical means for operating the brake members so as to be operated thereby in one direction, and means for restoring the valve to its original position.

3. The combination with the movable steering knuckle of an automobile or similar vehicle of a brake cylinder separately supported and rigidly connected with said steering knuckle and provided with a piston, a wheel mounted on said steering knuckle and provided with a brake member, and a brake member adapted to be actuated by said piston to contact with the brake member on the whe l.

4. The combination with the movable steering knuckle of an automobile or similar vehicle of a brake cylinder separately supported and rigidly connected with said steering knuckle and provided with a piston, a wheel mounted on said steering knuckle and provided with a brake member, brake bands pivotally supported by said steering knuckle, and a lever for actuating said brake bands by movement of the piston.

5. In an automobile braking system, the combination of a foot pedal actuated brake mechanism, a power actuating means connected with said brake mechanism for applying the said brakes, means for creating an air pressure dif- Ierential for actuating said power means, air passages, and a valve therefor connected with said loot pedal mechanism to cause application of the power to said brakes consequent upon first movement of said pedal, and upon further movement of said pedal effecting manual brake application, there being a cooperative lost-motion connection between the power actuating mechanism and the loot pedal and whereby the application of the brakes is effected in substantially the same manner whether by power or manually, or by combination thereof.

6. In a brake system of the character described tor motor driven road vehicles, the combination of brake members, a manually operable lever tor applying said brake members upon short arcuate movement thereof, and connecting elements between the said lever and the brake members having therein a lost-motion connection, air pressure actuated means .for applying said brakes, means rendered efiectlve by operation of the vehicle motor and providing substantially constantly available air pressure for said last named means, and a valve controlling said air pressure means connected with saidlever, and whereby first movement of said lever conditions said valve to permit air pressure to apply the brakes and further movement takes up said lost-motion and applies manual power to said brakes. '1. In a brake system tor automobiles and similar vehicles having brake drums and brake shoe members adapted to be applied thereto, mechanisms for actuating said brake members including a foot pedal lever and connecting mechanical elements between said lever and the brake shoe members, a means for creating an air pressure differential available at all times while the a motor for said vehicle is running, a cylinder, and a piston connected to said brake applying elements by a lost-motion connection permitting actuation of the brakes by either the foot pedal lever or said cylinder and piston, and an air valve so connected with said lever that initial operation of the lever applies and controls air pressure to said brake mechanism'and whereby further foot pedal movement applies said brake mechanism, manually, and means for restoring the valve and brake applying means to their original positions.

8. The combination of a mechanical braking system for automobiles including brakes for stopping the rotation of the wheels, a brake pedal for manual operation of the brakes and mechanical linkage connecting the brake pedal and the brakes, a power mechanism for applying said brakes including an air-pressure actuated means adapted for operation of said mechanical linkage, pressure means providing a substantially constant differential oi air-pressure whenever the engine is operating, a valve connected to the brake pedal for controlling the supply of air to said air-pressure actuated means, the power mechanism being so connected by lost-motion connection with the mechanical linkage and the brake pedal that power operation of the brakes is accomplished by the same brake pedal and with slightly less forward movement and with substantially the same resulting application and control of the brakes as in manual operation, and means for returning the brake operating mechanisms to their original positions.

- NIELS A. CHRISTENSEN. 

